IN THESSALONICA AND BEREA

Passage: Acts 17:1-15

Key verse: 11

NIV

In Thessalonica

17 When Paul and his companions had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica,(A) where there was a Jewish synagogue. 2 As was his custom, Paul went into the synagogue,(B) and on three Sabbath(C) days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures,(D) 3 explaining and proving that the Messiah had to suffer(E) and rise from the dead.(F) “This Jesus I am proclaiming to you is the Messiah,”(G) he said. 4 Some of the Jews were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas,(H) as did a large number of God-fearing Greeks and quite a few prominent women.

5 But other Jews were jealous; so they rounded up some bad characters from the marketplace, formed a mob and started a riot in the city.(I) They rushed to Jason’s(J) house in search of Paul and Silas in order to bring them out to the crowd.[a] 6 But when they did not find them, they dragged(K) Jason and some other believers(L) before the city officials, shouting: “These men who have caused trouble all over the world(M) have now come here,(N) 7 and Jason has welcomed them into his house. They are all defying Caesar’s decrees, saying that there is another king, one called Jesus.”(O) 8 When they heard this, the crowd and the city officials were thrown into turmoil. 9 Then they made Jason(P) and the others post bond and let them go.

In Berea

10 As soon as it was night, the believers sent Paul and Silas(Q) away to Berea.(R) On arriving there, they went to the Jewish synagogue.(S) 11 Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica,(T) for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures(U) every day to see if what Paul said was true.(V) 12 As a result, many of them believed, as did also a number of prominent Greek women and many Greek men.(W)

13 But when the Jews in Thessalonica learned that Paul was preaching the word of God at Berea,(X) some of them went there too, agitating the crowds and stirring them up. 14 The believers(Y) immediately sent Paul to the coast, but Silas(Z) and Timothy(AA) stayed at Berea. 15 Those who escorted Paul brought him to Athens(AB) and then left with instructions for Silas and Timothy to join him as soon as possible.(AC)

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Footnotes
  1. Acts 17:5 Or the assembly of the people
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Source: BibleGateway

ESV

Paul and Silas in Thessalonica

17 Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to (A)Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of the Jews. 2 And Paul went in, (B)as was his custom, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them (C)from the Scriptures, 3 (D)explaining and proving that it was necessary for (E)the Christ to suffer and (F)to rise from the dead, and saying, “This Jesus, whom I proclaim to you, is the Christ.” 4 And (G)some of them were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did (H)a great many of the devout (I)Greeks and not a few of the leading women. 5 (J)But the Jews[a] (K)were jealous, and taking (L)some wicked men of the rabble, they formed a mob, set the city in an uproar, and attacked the house of Jason, seeking to bring them out to the crowd. 6 And when they could not find them, (M)they dragged Jason and some of the brothers before the city authorities, shouting, “These men who have turned the world upside down have come here also, 7 and Jason has received them, and they are all acting against (N)the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is (O)another king, Jesus.” 8 And the people and the city authorities were disturbed when they heard these things. 9 And when they had taken money as security from Jason and the rest, they let them go.

Paul and Silas in Berea

10 (P)The brothers[b] immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea, and when they arrived they (Q)went into the Jewish synagogue. 11 Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, (R)examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so. 12 (S)Many of them therefore believed, with not a few Greek (T)women of high standing as well as men. 13 But when the Jews from Thessalonica learned that the word of God was proclaimed by Paul at Berea also, they came there too, (U)agitating and stirring up the crowds. 14 Then the brothers (V)immediately sent Paul off on his way to the sea, but Silas and (W)Timothy remained there. 15 (X)Those who conducted Paul brought him as far as (Y)Athens, and after receiving a command (Z)for Silas and Timothy to come to him as soon as possible, they departed.

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Footnotes
  1. Acts 17:5 Greek Ioudaioi probably refers here to Jewish religious leaders, and others under their influence, in that time; also verse 13
  2. Acts 17:10 Or brothers and sisters; also verse 14
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Source: BibleGateway
1. Paul proclaims Jesus (1-9) Paul made his way to Thessalonica and visited the Jewish synagogue. There he proclaimed Jesus as the Messiah, who suffered, died and rose from the dead. The message aroused jealousy in many of the Jews. They brought charges against Paul and the believers, accusing them of defying Caesar. 2. They examined the Scriptures (1 -15) Because of the turmoil, Paul took Silas and went to Berea. There he also went into the synagogue and proclaimed Jesus. But in Berea his message was received with eagerness. The Berean Jews are described as noble, because they examined the Scriptures in order to verify the truth of Paul's message. They sought the truth and believed. When the Thessalonian Jews heard about this, they created a scene in Berea, and Paul was escorted to Athens.

Prayer: Lord, help me to examine your word with a noble and truth-seeking character.

One Word: Examine the Scriptures